News & Headlines

Professional mountain bikers will be among the first to use a new, Scottish-developed device to monitor head impacts and their long term repercussions. Several of the world’s top riders will start the new season with the HIT device, which monitors the g-force of a head impact, attached to their helmets. The technology also measures the smaller cumulative impacts experienced by riders on runs, even when they don’t crash, similar to the effect on a footballer regularly heading a ball over the course of a match. The unit connects to an app which provides a traffic light warning system and, as concussion can be complicated to diagnose, allows the user to make an informed decision on whether or not to seek medical attention.

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered leaky blood vessels, together with a hyperactive immune system may be the underlying cause of brain fog in people with long Covid. They suggest their discovery is important for the understanding of brain fog and cognitive decline – difficulty with thinking, memory or concentration – seen in some people with the condition. It is hoped the findings will help with the development of treatments in the future.

Researchers are trying to determine if a number of Canadian veterans are suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death. CTE is often accompanied by psychiatric symptoms, which could develop into suicidal thoughts, according to researchers. However, little is understood scientifically about a possible link, nor how widespread CTE is among veterans. Standing inside a brain imaging lab at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, researcher Isabelle Boileau says it’s possible that armed forces members who’ve been exposed to explosions could be suffering from CTE.

The NFL is set to introduce a significant rule change for the upcoming 2024 season, as it allows players to wear Guardian Caps in a bid to ramp up safety measures. The league has been proactive in its approach to player safety, with the new helmets reportedly slashing concussion rates by almost half during training camps over the last two years. Data from specific position groups that used the helmets in 2022 and 2023 showed a substantial reduction in head injuries, prompting NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller to endorse the move.

Soldiers can suffer brain injury if they are repeatedly exposed to explosive blasts, a new study shows. Further, the more frequently a soldier is exposed to explosions, the greater their risk for brain injury, researchers reported April 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Based on this, researchers intend to develop a diagnostic test to detect blast brain injury in military personnel.

A legendary rugby player has cited the fear and anxiety that has come into his life among the reasons for urging the Australian government to fund support services and education about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The Secretary of the Army says all new soldiers will receive cognitive testing as part of basic training, as a way to set a baseline for their neurological health from shockwave trauma.

A genetic study involving more than 1.2 million people has pinpointed 95 genetic loci that are associated with risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including 80 loci that had not been previously known. 

Almost three decades have passed since the first posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neuroimaging study was published. Since then, the field of clinical neuroscience has made advancements in understanding the neural correlates of PTSD to create more efficacious treatment strategies. While gold-standard psychotherapy options are available, many patients do not respond to them, prematurely drop out, or never initiate treatment. Therefore, elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms that define the disorder can help guide clinician decision-making and develop individualized mechanisms-based treatment options.

When COVID-19 first reared its head back in 2019, it brought with it a slew of strange symptoms beyond just respiratory problems. One of the most puzzling symptoms in those early days was something called "brain fog" — cognitive issues like confusion, forgetfulness, and trouble focusing.

Melbourne researchers say they have discovered a blood protein that could help detect children with ongoing concussion symptoms weeks after an injury. Researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) said levels of a protein called Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (alpha-1-ACT) appeared significantly lower in children who had a delayed recovery from injury.  According to MCRI, one in five children will have had a concussion by the time they are 16. 

Scientists in Devon hope to reduce the impact of brain fog in people with long Covid using computer games. The University of Exeter's Beacon Project used the brain's problem-solving abilities to help memory and cognition, staff said. They added such games had been used in studies into the mental decline of older people and it was hoped similar work could help post-viral conditions.